M&A Market Efficiency in Russia: Problems and Prospects

The aim of the article is to study the effect of M&A transactions in Russia for shareholders and investors of an acquiring company. The objectives of the study were to develop methods for efficiency evaluation, to conduct a general analysis of the M&A market in Russia, to develop recommendations based on the results. The framework of the study was the market-based approach to the analysis of transaction efficiency. The authors investigated the key indicators: the value of the company EV (Enterprise Value) and the market value of the company MV (Market Value). They analyzed three time points for each transaction and the change of the indicators in-between: six months before the transaction, at the time of the transaction and six months after the transaction. The data obtained allowed for calculating the growth rates of stock prices, the values of the companies and the average values for the market. Based on the study results, the authors concluded that the M&A market has a weak effect on the Russian economy as a whole, but at the same time there is a decreasing effect for shareholders. The majority of M&A transactions aim to expand corporate finance, to increase the company’s capitalization, and to maximize business value. The results are of use to predict the further dynamics of the company’s value, a key indicator for portfolio and institutional investors, as well as to analyze the efficiency of acquisitions followed by evaluation of investment attractiveness of the company